Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

GALAHAD

I’d been to Dead Man’s Path only once, centuries ago, but never crossed it. I’d heard the legends though, and knew nothing good could come of this. Arthur’s next trial was bound to test her in ways the first trial hadn’t. She was still learning. Still new to magic.

When she’d gone into the pond the day before, I hadn’t thought twice before leaping in after her. She’d been in some sort of trance, and couldn’t hear any of us shouting her name. But when we emerged on the other side, gasping for air, I realized we’d left Albion and entered Avalon for the first time in centuries.

I could still taste the sweetness of the air and feel the rightness of it. I’d spent the last seven centuries longing for Avalon, unable to return until the once and future king was found. But I could feel the pull of my homeland in the marrow of my fucking bones. It called to me, begging me to return.

She’d given that moment to me. Arthur, our glorious queen, gave me my home back if only for those brief moments, and she’d never know what that meant to me.

I could have stayed in Avalon. There was nothing pulling me back to the other side, or forcing me to continue the quest for the Holy Grail. I could have walked for days and nights until I reached the Seelie Court. Until I reached the family I left behind so long ago. I could have walked into the arms of my brothers and placed a kiss on my mother’s head.

But I chose to come back. I chose Arthur, and not a single part of me regretted that choice. The same choice Tristan, Gawain, and Merlin had also made.

As we trudged through the wood, the hours seemed to stretch on endlessly. I found myself longing for the simple comforts of Camelot. A warm meal, a soft bed, and a pint of ale that didn't taste like it had been brewed by mischievous pixies. I said as much, making Gawain groan and rub his stomach. Tristan threw a glove at the side of my face and told me to stop teasing him.

"You know, Galahad," Arthur said, glancing back at me with a playful smirk, "for an immortal fae knight, you sure do complain a lot."

I raised an eyebrow, feigning offense. "Excuse me, my lady, but I've been traipsing through these woods for centuries. I think I've earned the right to a little griping."

Arthur laughed, the sound like chimes in the wind, and I couldn't stop my answering smile. Day by day, I was growing fonder of our pretty queen. My cock thickened every time my eyes strayed to the curve of her ass as it bounced in her saddle, or the little noises she made as she slept.

I was immensely jealous of Gawain. He’d touched her the way I’d imagined a hundred times already, making her sick cunt clench around his fingers. I’d forced him to recount the little tryst in detail, so I could savor it and hope that one day soon, she might let me touch her too.

As we continued on, I sensed a presence nearby—a stag—its energy pulsing in a way only I could sense. I reached out with my mind, gently brushing against the creature's consciousness. It startled for a moment, then relaxed as it recognized my touch.

Through the stag's eyes, I saw the world in a swirl of colors and scents. The greens of the leaves were more vibrant, the earthy smell of the soil richer. It bounded ahead of us, its powerful legs carrying it swiftly through the underbrush.

As it ran, I caught glimpses of our path ahead. The trees thinned, giving way to a rocky outcropping. And there, spanning a misty chasm, was the bridge. Dead Man's Path.

The stag's heartbeat quickened as it approached, sensing the ancient magic that emanated from the stone. I shared its apprehension. The bridge looked as if it had been there since the dawn of time; the stones weathered and worn, yet still standing strong somehow.

I pulled my consciousness back, blinking as the forest came back into focus around me. "The bridge is just ahead."

We urged our horses on faster, and Merlin lifted from the ground, his griffin taking to the skies to scout from above.

As we approached the bridge, a sense of unease settled in my gut. The bridge itself was a sight to behold. Ancient stone arches stretched across the chasm, disappearing into the mist that swirled below. Intricate carvings adorned the weathered rock, depicting tentacles and clawed hands. I ran my fingers over the etchings, marveling at the craftsmanship.

"Look there," Tristan said, pointing to a wooden box lying at the entrance to the bridge. "It looks like the one in the boneyard."

I dismounted and approached the box, my hand resting on the hilt of my sword. You could never be too careful in these parts. I knelt down and tried to open the box, but the lid wouldn’t budge.

“Let Arthur try,” Tristan said. I stood and saw that Tristan’s eyes had gone entirely white for a moment.

Arthur dismounted, and I handed her the box. Her fingers brushed against mine for the briefest of moments. Even that fleeting touch sent a jolt of warmth through my body and my cock hardened again. I watched as she examined the box, her brow furrowed in concentration.

With a soft click, the lid popped open. Arthur reached inside and pulled out a single scroll of parchment. She unrolled it carefully, her eyes scanning the words written in an elegant, flowing script.

"To pass this bridge, a price you'll pay," she read aloud. "Three guardians stand in your way. Riddles they'll pose, answers you'll give, to prove your worth and continue to live."

"Well, that's not ominous at all. I was hoping for a nice, leisurely stroll across the bridge. Maybe a stop for a picnic halfway."

Arthur shot me a look, but I could see the corners of her mouth twitching with amusement. "Focus, Galahad. This is serious."

"Of course, my lady," I said with a mock bow. "Lead on, and I shall follow." She shook her head with a smile.

We left the horses behind again, not wanting to risk them on the narrow bridge. There was a chance we wouldn’t be able to come back for them after the trial, and we’d be on foot after that.

As we stepped onto the bridge, a chill wind whipped through the chasm, making the ancient stones shudder beneath our feet. I kept close to Arthur, my hand never straying far from my sword hilt. The mist swirled around us, obscuring our view of the other side.

We’d barely taken a dozen steps when, up ahead, a massive statue rose from the fog. The first stone guardian. It was carved into the shape of an old hunched crone, and as we approached, her eyes began to glow.

"Halt," she commanded, her voice echoing across the chasm. Her stone mouth never moved. "To pass, you must answer my riddle."

Arthur stepped forward, her chin held high. "We’re ready."

I hated riddles. I’d never been clever enough to understand them.

“I am not alive, but I grow; I don't have lungs, but I need air; I don't have a mouth, but water kills me. What am I?”

Arthur's brow furrowed as she pondered the riddle. I could practically see the gears turning in her head. Tristan and Gawain exchanged worried glances, but I kept my gaze fixed on Arthur.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Fire," she said confidently. "The answer is fire."

With a groan, the statue shifted, revealing a narrow path along the edge of the bridge. Arthur glanced back at us, a victorious grin on her lips, before leading the way forward.

“It was too easy,” Merlin muttered as we walked.

I glanced at him, my brow arched. "How so? I never would have guessed fire.”

Merlin cast me a bemused look. “I mean this with all the kindness in the world, my friend, but a child could have solved that riddle.”

A bark of laughter came from behind me as Gawain clapped me on the shoulder. “He’s got you there, Gal. Even I knew it was fire.”

“A bunch of fucking scholars then,” I muttered, rolling my eyes and shrugging Gawain’s hand off.

The path wound its way through the mist, the sound of our footsteps echoing off the stone. Before long, a second statue emerged from the haze. This one was carved in the likeness of a stern-faced warrior, his hand resting on the hilt of a stone sword. As we approached, his eyes began to glow, just as the crone's had.

"Another riddle you must answer," he boomed, his voice like the rumble of distant thunder. "Fail, and your journey ends here."

Arthur nodded, her hand instinctively reaching for Excalibur at her side. "Ask your riddle, guardian."

“I possess no limbs yet I can dance, With whispers of secrets, I take my stance. I can be a herald of joy or of fright, Always I linger, both day and night. What am I?”

The warrior's riddle hung in the air, the mist curling around us as if awaiting our answer. My heartbeat pounded in my ears. This one seemed trickier than the last.

Gusts of wind snatched voices from the depths of the chasm below, carrying them up to us like the sorrowful moans of the dying. I locked eyes with Arthur and saw unease flicker in their depths. I offered my hand for her to take, and her delicate fingers intertwined with mine.

None of us could solve the riddle for her. If we did, then Arthur would fail the trial, and I had no doubt that we would become part of the chorus of shrieking souls in the chasm below.

Arthur's brow furrowed as she mulled over the words, her lips moving silently as she repeated the riddle to herself. I glanced at Merlin, who was watching her intensely. He knew the answer, I could tell. Once again, I had no idea.

"A shadow," she declared suddenly, her voice ringing out clear and strong. "The answer is a shadow."

My stomach clenched, and my fingers too, tightening on hers. For a moment, the only sound was the eerie whistle of the breeze through the chasm. Then, with a grinding of stone on stone, the warrior statue shifted, revealing the next stretch of the path.

"Thank the fucking gods," Gawain muttered, running a hand over his bearded jaw. "I thought for sure we were done for."

I clapped him on the back, grinning. "Our queen is as clever as she is beautiful."

Arthur shot me a look, half exasperated, half amused. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Galahad."

"On the contrary, my lady," I said with a wink, "I find it gets me exactly where I want to be."

She shook her head, but I could see the hint of a smile playing at the corners of her red tinted lips. Lips I very much had the urge to kiss.

Arthur walked ahead and veered to the right, where she paused and peered over the edge of the bridge into the chasm. “How far down is the drop?”

In response, more moans echoed up from the dark depths, causing her long chestnut hair to blow off her shoulders. The chilly air had caused goosebumps to form on her arms, and instinctively, I stepped in behind her, rubbing my hands up and down her arms in an attempt to warm her up.

“According to legends,” Tristan said, stepping up beside Arthur and peering down. “There is no bottom. The chasm just keeps going. Some say you fall forever until you die of starvation.”

A visible shiver ran through Arthur, and she leaned back into my touch. I kept rubbing her arms, relishing the closeness. The scent of her hair, like campfire smoke and autumn leaves, made my mouth water. My need for her was growing, and touching her wasn’t helping.

"Let's hurry," Merlin said, his eyes scanning the mist ahead. "We have one more guardian to face."

With reluctance, I stepped back from Arthur, my hands sliding down her arms before falling away. She glanced over her shoulder at me, her brown eyes meeting mine for a charged moment. Something unspoken passed between us, a promise of things to come. Then she turned and led us down the bridge.

The path narrowed as we went, until we were forced to walk single file, our hips brushing the rough stone on either side. The mist grew thicker, swirling around our feet and obscuring the way ahead. It felt as though we were walking through a dream, or maybe a nightmare.

At last, the third and final statue loomed out of the fog. It was an androgynous figure, neither male nor female, with a serene expression carved onto its stone face, and a crown of antlers atop their head. As we approached, its eyes began to glow with that now-familiar light.

"One last riddle, seekers of the Grail," it said, its voice a melodic whisper that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. "Answer correctly, and the way forward shall be opened to you."

“In the stillness of night, when the world holds its breath, I weave through the ages, a whisper of death. I am born in the silence, yet speak without sound, A specter of moments, in shadows I’m bound. I follow your footsteps, yet never am seen, A phantom companion, where light once has been. I feast on the fleeting, on dreams that you keep, In the depths of your heart, where the memories seep. I dance in the twilight, where echoes reside, A thief of your laughter, your joy, and your pride. Though you chase after me, I slip through your grasp, For I am the keeper and shall hold you your last.”

I watched Arthur closely, trying to decipher her expressions as she puzzled over the guardian's words. Her brow furrowed, and she chewed on her bottom lip, a habit I'd noticed she had when deep in thought. It was incredibly distracting.

I wondered if Arthur knew how beautiful she was. I forced my gaze away from those lips, trying to focus on the riddle instead. The answer danced just out of reach, taunting me. I glanced at Merlin, hoping he might have some insight, but he seemed just as perplexed as the rest of us.

Minutes ticked by, and the bridge began to tremble beneath our feet. The screams from the chasm grew louder, more insistent, as if the lost souls sensed our presence and were eager to drag us down into their eternal torment.

I exchanged worried glances with the others. Lancelot’s fingers sparked with flame and his eyes filled with glowing embers, ready to lash out at anything that tried to harm Arthur. Ice crawled up Gawain’s arms and Tristan’s eyes were glowing white.

The bridge trembled more violently, causing loose rocks to tumble down the sheer mountain faces on either side. The moans became deafening, resembling the cries of a killing field. I should have anticipated that there would be a time limit for each riddle.

Just as the stone guardian’s eyes began to dim, Arthur’s entire body jerked forward, and her eyes went wide. "Time!" she shouted as she rocked to the side as the bridge shook. “The answer to your riddle is time!"

For a moment, there was only silence. Everything seems to stop. The bridge stopped shaking, the walls stopped crumbling, and the infernal glow returned to the stone guardian’s eyes.

Then, with a groan that sounded like the earth itself was sighing, the statue shifted, revealing the final stretch of the bridge.